Job Vacancies

Huw currently has a vacancy for a highly motivated and conscientious individual to work in his Westminster office.

Job Title: Parliamentary/Senior Parliamentary Assistant 

Working For: Huw Merriman MP, Chairman of Transport Select Committee and MP for Bexhill and Battle

Location: House of Commons, London

Salary: In line with IPSA pay scales and commensurate with skills and experience 

Job Details: 

An opportunity has arisen for a highly motivated and conscientious individual to work within Huw’s Westminster team. Huw is looking for someone with a genuine interest in politics and Parliament to manage the day-to-day operations of his Westminster office, work with key stakeholders and take a lead on social media and communications.  

This post offers a genuine opportunity for an ambitious person who is keen to develop their skills to work collaboratively and directly with a senior backbench MP and his hard-working team. 

Responsibilities include:

  • Responsibility for managing Huw’s inbox and organising the weekly Westminster diary in line with Huw’s priorities and interests;
  • Monitoring Parliamentary business using in-house resources and providing briefings and contributing to policy correspondence;
  • Deputising and collaborating with the Senior Parliamentary Assistant who has responsibility for working with the Transport Committee officials to provide management for his role as Committee Chair;
  • Creating, developing and rolling out campaigns and working with other stakeholders (including media, think tanks, cross-party MPs and their offices);
  • Acting as lead contact for Huw’s role as Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Groups for the BBC and Autism, as well as his other APPG interests;
  • Manage Westminster communications and feed in or manage press releases, website, social media, mass mailings and newsletter liaising with national and local media;
  • Have line management responsibility for work experience students and interns.

The successful candidate must have:

  • Excellent organisational skills and ability to work calmly under pressure, attention to detail is vital;
  • Excellent standards of written English and good communication skills;
  • The ability to work well independently and as part of a small team;
  • Be able to deal with constituents and stakeholders in a professional, helpful and sympathetic manner;
  • A genuine interest in politics, an understanding of Parliament and its procedures and must be sympathetic with the aims of the party;
  • Strong IT and social media skills;
  • Management or supervisory experience or willingness to undertake appropriate training.

Parliamentary experience gained from working for an MP or near-identical related experience in Parliamentary liaison role would be helpful but not necessary if you have the key skills above.

Previous occupants of this role have gone on to take senior roles in the private sector (both in-house and in consultancy) and the public sector. This is in-line with the office's commitment to developing careers.

Closing Date:  28 April 2022

Interview/Start Dates:  We expect to start interviews as soon as possible. We may appoint someone before the closing date if a suitable candidate is found so early applications are encouraged. It is anticipated that, following interview, the successful candidate will start in mid to late May 2022, subject to security clearance.  

Application Details:

To apply for this role please email your CV (no longer than 2 pages) and a one-page covering letter explaining you would be suitable for this role, and the skills and attributes you would bring to it, to Frances McKenna, Office Manager, at francesl.mckenna@parliament.uk 

For more information or an informal discussion about this role, please telephone Joe Billenness, on 020 7219 0297. 

Website: http://www.huwmerriman.org.uk/ 

For useful information about working for an MP visit https://w4mp.org/

IPSA staff salary scales https://w4mp.org/library/researchguides/your-employment-status/staff-sa…